Scientists Discover How Mosquitoes Can 'Sniff Out' Humans (theguardian.com) 30
Whether you opt for repellant, long sleeves or citronella coils, the dreaded drone of a mosquito always seems to find its way back to you. Now researchers say they have found the mechanism behind the insect's ability to home in on humans. From a report: Humans give off a fragrant cocktail of body odour, heat and carbon dioxide, which varies from person to person and mosquitoes use to locate their next meal. While most animals have a specific set of neurons that detect each type of odour, mosquitoes can pick up on smells via several different pathways, suggests the study, which is published in the science journal Cell. "We found that there's a real difference in the way mosquitoes encode the odours that they encounter compared to what we've learned from other animals," said Meg Younger, an assistant professor of biology at Boston University and one of the lead authors of the study. Researchers at the Rockefeller University, in New York, were baffled when mosquitoes were somehow still able to find people to bite after having an entire family of human odour-sensing proteins removed from their genome. The team then examined odour receptors in the antennae of mosquitoes, which bind to chemicals floating around in the environment and signal to the brain via neurons.
Skip TFS, skip TFA (Score:1)
Read the summary to the paper proper.
Or skip that and look at the "graphical abstract". Scientific paper with infographic, how modern.
We're not their "next meal". (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
And there's only one invasive species of mosquitoes that intentionally targets humans.
But so what?
When you've got a million mosquitos trying to make you their next meal, do you really care if there's 100 million more who aren't?
They like me. (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
Have you tried eating raw garlic?
I tend to be a mosquito magnet, but chow down on a raw clove or two of nice ripe garlic and they'll leave me alone for hours.
Of course, so do a lot of humans - the smell just oozes out of your skin. Which at least makes it easy for other people to tell when it starts working - your own sense of smell has probably been murdered by eating raw garlic.
Re: (Score:2)
I once ate about half a head of raw garlic since I thought it might have some health-supporting ("supporting" meaning it might not actually do anything) properties. I got pretty sick. I'm not sure if that's because it was contaminated or because it's not an easy food to tolerate. Do you have any insight into this?
Re: (Score:2)
Only that I wouldn't want to eat half a head, a clove or two is quite intense enough. I could see much more getting a bit rough, especially if you have a sensitive stomach.
Actually getting sick seems a bit odd, so I wouldn't rule out contamination. Or perhaps a mild allergy that's not a problem at lower doses?
Seems like older garlic puts up more of a fight too - especially once it starts losing its crunch.
Re: (Score:2)
I have no idea if it was a true illness or temporary stomach irritation. But I appreciate the insight about garlic.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't know why. Don't care why. Just happy for it.
Re: (Score:2)
And that's a large part of your problem, right there. In order for citronella [wikipedia.org] to be effective, you have to spray it on your skin every 30 to 60 minutes. Mosquitoes simply ignore those candles.
Interesting that there are different pathways... (Score:5, Interesting)
Take an empty and clean 2-liter soda bottle, and cut it in half about 1 inch below the neck. Fill the bottom with about 4 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a packet of dry yeast. Place the top part, spout down, on top of the bottom part. Tape the two parts together, if you wish.
The yeast generates carbon dioxide which draws in the mosquitos, but once they get into the chamber there's nothing to feast on so they fly up, but not out, since that little opening is too small for most of them to find again.
It'll last for hours, and once the yeast mixture is depleted you simply toss out the mixture, and dead mosquitos, and whip up another batch.
Re: (Score:2)
But why attract them to your area when you're there? :/
Re: (Score:2)
Presumably they're already attracted by the carbon dioxide people are breathing out, and the trap simply offers a more enticing and non-human target.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeast respire slowly. Based on caloric input and estimated fermentation time, you'd need at least five gallons of beer/wine to respire at the rate of a human. To find fast respiration, look for something that produces more noticeable heat, like a candle. A candle makes a similar amount of CO2 as a human. Heat output is a great way to judge metabolism, and vice versa.
The trick is... (Score:2)
...to stay upwind of your stinkier acquaintances.
Fantastic! (Score:2)
I can't wait for someone to invent fly paper that just so happens to put off the exact odor to which they are attracted!
Countermeasure from 1998 (Score:2)
Why not me? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I've found some things in my life:
1. Bugs LOVE me. Always have. I currently have about 10 mosquito bites on me and I hate it. I have a picture from when I was a teenager after hiking with a pack for a few hours and there are over 50 flies hanging out on my hot, humid, heavily aspirating shirt/back.
2. Girls love my natural smell. I know, its weird, but I dated a lot of girls in my day and I got lots of comments about how they like my musk. I don't like my wife's natual musk and bugs pretty much completely le
First blood (Score:2)
How do they know they need to drink blood? Their mother told them? Similary, how does a spider know how to make a web? There is no spider school. It's strange how learnt abilities can be inherited.
Re: (Score:2)
There are parallels in human behavior. For example Telling Lies by Paul Ekman explains that humans from all cultures show the same facial expressions in response to unpleasant stimuli in films, unless they are with other people. When with others, Japanese people cover their feelings with a polite smile, since this is the learned response. The grimace, when in private, isn't something people are taught.
Re: First blood (Score:2)
Citronella (Score:2)
Just an FYI - citronella doesn't really work. If the smoke/smell is dense enough it might mask the CO2 given off by humans, but they don't work any better than lighting a bunch of candles or standing by a camp fire, which is to say not very well.
Those Thermacell propane/butane powered repellant gadgets actually do work, as do the incense-like coils that also contain allethrin. They work great for me (and I tend to get swarmed by mosquitos) and all the hiking and camping Youtube channels I watch also swear b
Multiple factors ... (Score:2)
There was a research paper on how people who are infected by Flavivirus attract more mosquitoes. Something that was selected for in spreading the virus.
The research itself is fascinating, and what they found was more so ...
Listen to virologists explain that research in TWiV #919 [microbe.tv]
barn swallows (Score:2)
Barn swallows eat mosquitos.
And that's why I'm not going to remove their nests from my property.